pandemicbusinesstoolkit.ca
Overview Checklist
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Prepare Yourself
- Ensure that you understand the disease (pandemic influenza) and its potential impact on you, your business, and your employees. Regularly update your knowledge through listening for official health information/advice and using the resources in this tool kit
- Identify official health spokesperson(s) for pandemic influenza in your community for ongoing health information/advisories, including advisability/availability of vaccines, anti-virals, and other health measures
- Engage board/owners/partners/key managers in understanding the potential threat of pandemic influenza to your business and in a planning process to address this threat
Prepare your business
Corporate/Management
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklists
Key issues- Leadership may be seriously disrupted by illness or death during a pandemic
- Employees will look to employers for leadership and protection
Finance
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key Issues- Decreased revenue resulting from interruption in supply and/or demand
- Increased costs associated with sick-leave benefits, death benefits, and re-staffing to replace lost employees
- Increased costs associated with stockpiling of supplies, including hygiene materials, and implementation of technologies
Legal
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key Issues- There could be legal implications related to tracking and monitoring employee health, alternative worksites, etc.
- Contract liability - Force majeure clauses may not apply
Security
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Security services may be compromised, e.g. in event of shortages of essential supplies/public panic
Information Technology
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Normal information systems may not be operational (due to power shortages, lack of personnel support, possible government rationing of telephone lines)
- Lack of personnel will create need to consider off-site workplaces
- There will be interruptions to consumer access
Workplace Health and Safety
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Employers have an obligation to safeguard workers from predictable workplace hazards
- Offering awareness and education sessions, brochures, and other resources will help employees respond to pandemic influenza with reason rather than fear
- Strict adherence to hygiene protocols may be the most effective preventative action during a pandemic
Human Resources
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Absenteeism - potentially 25-50% of employees over a period of time, depending on the severity of the pandemic
- Company profile, e.g. gender/age distribution, may affect absenteeism
- Pandemic expected to occur in successive waves, potentially increasing in severity, lasting 6-8 weeks at a time, 3-9 months apart over a period of 1-2 years
- Concern about lost wages is the largest deterrent to self-quarantine
- Deaths may occur
- Employees who recover and return to the workplace will likely be immune
- Collective agreements may be affected
- Confidentiality of employee information will be a concern
- Increased workload HR staff
Communications
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Information is key to effectively managing pandemic influenza in the workplace
- Early identification of a key, trusted, source of information in the community is important
- Situation may change rapidly during a pandemic, so information will need to be shared frequently
- The public will be inundated with information available via 24/7 cable news networks
- There will be employee fear/anxiety, rumors and misinformation
Operations
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Interruption of supply chain
- Interruption in demand for products and services
- Disruptions in interdependencies and support agreements
- Travel restrictions
- Possible loss of critical infrastructure e.g. electrical power, transportation, telecommunications
- Absenteeism – at least temporary loss of employee skills and knowledge
- Alternative workplaces
- Pandemic could come in waves, i.e. impact could last for months
- Operations may need to be consolidated, diversified, or closed, depending on specific situations
Facilities
- Address the following and other key issues for your business using specific detailed checklist
Key issues- Infection control will require enhanced attention to the quality of the work environment
- Infection control will require enhanced attention to the quality of the work environment
Prepare your employees
- Engage employees in understanding the potential threat of pandemic influenza to themselves, their families and their work environment
- Include employees and labour representatives in the planning process where appropriate
- Educate employees using the employee education package. Education material provided at www.pandemicbusinesstoolkit.ca